Chrome and Silver
by reppuzan
Summary: He was built to be a weapon. The perfect, unquestioning soldier, a being of unparalleled might to defend the kingdoms from the creatures that threaten to devour them. Yet, what if he could be something more? What if he could be... human.
1. Prologue - War During Peace

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All characters/concepts/ideas aside from my original characters/concepts/ideas belong to their respective owners.

* * *

><p>This tale takes place on a world named Remnant. Here the humans are plagued everyday by creatures of the dark known as Grimm, monsters without souls whose only pleasure is to feed on those who have them. Thankfully, humans found a way to fight back against these monsters. The discoveries of Dust, Semblances, and Aura allowed the humans to form an effective fighting force and beat back the Grimm towards the outskirts of Remnant. These warriors are known as Hunters and Huntresses, those who fight Grimm to protect the world from the darkness who intend to swallow it. They eventually formed four kingdoms, the final bastions of human society. These kingdoms are Mistral, Vale, Vacuo, and Atlas.<p>

This story will focus on a particular resident of the last kingdom, Atlas.

Atlas is by far the most technologically advanced and innovative of the four kingdoms. They do not rely solely on their Hunters and Huntresses, instead supporting them with an army of fully trained soldiers, known collectively as the Atlesian military. Their primary purpose in the battle against the Grimm is to provide firing support for the Hunters and the defense of key locations, such as the boundaries of kingdoms. It is here that this story will begin.

Are you ready?

Then let us start.

* * *

><p><strong>Outskirts of Atlas – Battlefield<strong>

* * *

><p>It was the dead of the night, the pitch black darkness only pierced by two sources of light. The first was the searchlight provided by Remnant's shattered moon, illuminating patches of the shadows. The second, the flash of blaster and gunfire aimed directly at the oncoming hordes of Grimm.<p>

The Grimm have been particularly aggressive in recent times, attacking even in broad daylight. However, it was common knowledge to all that the Grimm were most dangerous at night, when the darkness was strongest and permeated every nook and cranny of the land.

"Shit! Shit!" cried one soldier as he was forced to retreat. Despite the fact that their forces were bolstered by the newest line of android soldiers, the prototype Atlesian Knight-200s, the line was being overrun by an endless sea of Grimm monsters. A wave of opaque ebony dotted with splotches of white and red, the color of the masks and eyes each and every Grimm bore.

"Where the hell are our reinforcements?" yelled another, desperately hoping for an answer. The pained voices and final noises of several soldiers were drowned out by the roars and screams of the Grimm, who came as relentlessly as ever.

James Ironwood, one of Atlas's generals, watches the scene from his command center. Atlas has been trying to keep human soldiers off the front lines for years. Even with the best the kingdom has to offer men still have to be sent to die against the Grimm since the standard mass-production combat androids can only do so much. Even so, he had anticipated an occurrence like this, and had already prepared an appropriate countermeasure.

With a push of a button he established communications with his research and development team.

A scrawny, disheveled old man appeared on screen. "Hello General, if you wondering about Unit 02 we're still testing his combat ability and-"

"Professor Pollendina, send Unit 02 to the north border immediately. It's time for his first field test."

"What? We haven't finished running combat simulations with him!"

"He is still ready for battle isn't he?"

"Perhaps, but the Core is still unstable! If he is deployed now we risk scrapping him entirely!"

"It's either him or the Kingdom, Professor. I think we know who is more willing to rebel should the Grimm breach the walls."

After a long pause, the old man finally barked back, "Fine! But if my masterpiece is destroyed before it is even finished the bill is on you!" The screen then went black as the scientist hung up.

"Let's hope this masterpiece of his can hold up against the Grimm." pondered Ironwood as he continued to monitor the battlefield.

* * *

><p><strong>Atlesian Military Research and Development Lab<strong>

* * *

><p>"Unit 02!" called the scientist to his creation. Unit 02, serial number CH-120443, stopped hacking away at his training targets long enough to turn around and listen. Unit 02, like his predecessor, was designed to resemble a human to match his ability to use Aura, the power inherent in all natural beings with souls. He appeared to be a fit adolescent male of around fifteen years of age, with short, spiky hair that shone a striking silver. His synthetic skin had a light complexion, his eyes a chestnut color. In order to properly link his experimental power source, known referred to as the Core, he was kept rather petite in stature contrary to his initial blueprints. The professor didn't fret over this fact as according to calculations this wouldn't affect his expected combat performance all that much.<p>

"As much as I loathe to say this, you're going to be deployed to the front lines within the hour. I don't have any completed armaments available for you, but you're welcome to take any of the prototypes from the lab you feel comfortable with."

Unit 02 only nodded at the doctor as he received his directives. Proceeding over to the armory filled with experimental weapons. Among them included miniature warheads which split into cluster bombs, a massive beam cannon that could vaporize opponents, and a pair of gauntlets that would've amplified his already great strength to ludicrous levels.

However, the android ignored all of those things and instead took only two different weapons. The first was a massive blade as long as he was tall and nearly as wide. It was built to be as strong and sturdy as he was, thus a preferred weapon for his programmed role of being on the front lines of combat. The second, two .50 caliber heavy machine guns whose magazines were filled to the brim with explosive, armor piercing rounds powerful enough to blast gaping holes in any unfortunate victim caught in their firing paths. Having learned from previous exercises, he also took a number of sidearms, including throwing daggers, handguns, and enough explosives to sink a small fleet of military airship from the inside. Together the equipment would have weighed at least two hundred kilograms, unbearably heavy for a human, but handled as easily as children's toys by the android.

After donning the standard blue and silver Atlesian armor, the robot prepared to leave through the double doors of the lab before being stopped by his creator.

"02, you and your sister unit are my greatest works. Do _not_ let yourself be destroyed. I expect you to be back here in one piece. Consider this a direct order, ingrain it into your main protocols immediately!"

The androids eyes, normally invisible behind the nearly-opaque visor of his helmet, briefly flashed a luminescent blue before returning to normal at these words.

"Directives received, Professor." The android stated in complete monotone as confirmation to the order's completion.

"Now go before that stick in the mud calls again."

With that, Unit 02 departed the lab for the first time to the dangerous, deceitful, and deadly outside world.

* * *

><p><strong>Skies Over the Battlefield<strong>

* * *

><p>On the airship, Unit 02 waited in complete silence and with inhuman patience, exactly he was programmed to. He was sifting through the figures uploaded to him from headquarters on the battle's situation at a speed exceeding that of a quantum computer, soldiers confirmed killed, estimated Grimm numbers, current allied formations, and chances of victory during the current situation. The last value he recited to the soldiers inside the airship with him aloud.<p>

"Estimated chance of victory: 0%" he said as if it were a simple fact, common knowledge that everyone knew.

This caused the gaze of the soldiers inside to narrow at the words of the robot before them.

"What do you mean zero percent? Are you saying we're only going to be going off to die?!" exclaimed a younger, more inexperienced soldier in panic.

The soldier was quickly silenced by his more experienced squad member with a slap on the back, "Pipe down, the kid in front of you is a robot. Unit 02 I think they called him."

"Oh... that explains why he's carrying so much." muttered the younger soldier in embarrassment.

"Hey, 02." The combat android looked up, preparing himself for additional orders or simply to respond. "Are ya feeling anxious? Penny did during her first mission."

"According to my schematics and the professor I was built to optimize my combat and calculation ability. According to my profile data and the professor I was built to lack emotional output due my nature as a strategic-class weapon created for the defense of Atlas. I am nothing more than a tool to be used as seen fit by Atlas' leadership. Thus I am not supposed to be able to feel fear, grief, or other sensations associated with the term anxiety."

"If ya say so kid, this newbie here could use some of that backbone of yours. Then again, you're a newbie too!" The veteran soldier gave a hearty laugh, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

"I lack human vertebrae. My body is supported by a ceramic-reinforced titanium skeleton in order to allow me to withstand any debilitating impact and support any equipment I carry into battle." 02 replied, once again without any feeling in his synthesized voice. The soldier simply shrugged in response before continuing to try and help his younger comrade relax.

"Objective point reached, commencing next phase of the operation." 02 rose from his seat and began to leave for the entrance hatch, despite the fact that the airship was still thousands of feet in the air.

The robot reached up and tapped the security camera to get the pilot's attention. "Captain, I have reached my drop zone. Please release the hatch so I may be deployed as outlined in General Ironwood's report.

Naturally the pilot paused at the ridiculous request before realizing who had stated it. The hatch opened, allowing the gales created by the engines and the atmosphere to rush into the cabin.

"Happy landings, Tin Can." 02 let himself fall out of the airship the same way a corpse would off a plane. He was about as aerodynamic as a brick, so he simply dived straight down to reach his target landing spot.

"Engaging optical scanners..." 02's eyes flashed green as they began surveying the battlefield. "Scan complete, initiating calculations."

The ground continued to dart towards him as he did so. Upon reaching terminal velocity he adjusted his position so that he wouldn't plant himself in the ground when he landed.

"Landing imminent in:"

"5..."

"4..."

"3..."

"2..."

"1..."

The android hit the ground with a resounding crash, catching the attention of all present, Grimm and humans alike.

"Calculations complete. Estimated Grimm population, one thousand. Estimated chance of victory: 5%"

The Atlesian soldiers were low ranking, and thus not keen on 02's existence nor his capabilities. As a result, they panicked when they saw their reinforcements consisted of a lone small figure on the horizon.

"He's supposed to be the cavalry HQ?!" 02 could hear one soldier growl.

"We're seriously doomed!" yelled another in despair.

All of the Grimm present, Beowolves, Ursas, and Boarbatusks growled and clawed at the air as they observed the new arrival.

He paid neither the soldiers nor the Grimm any mind however, instead patching through to General Ironwood with his built in communications system.

"General Ironwood, this is Unit 02, serial number CH-20443. I have arrived at the target location as ordered. Requesting directives."

Ironwood gave very simple instructions, "Eliminate all enemies. Do not allow a single one to enter Atlas!"

"Directives received. Commencing mission, elimination of all targets!"

02's eyes turned a brilliant shade of vermillion as he primed of the grenades he armed himself with. Throwing them into the crowd, he drew the two heavy machine guns from his back holsters immediately afterward, drawing a bead on the enemy as a reticule and dozens of targeting circles appeared in his vision.

"Initiating combat mode, fire!" 02 charged in guns blazing, gradually adjusting his grip to compensate for recoil and maximize accuracy as he swept the rifles through the crowd of monstrosities. The Grimm caught in the initial burst were instantly decimated and evaporated into nothingness as they were torn into chunks by the high caliber rounds. Those who followed met the same fate, the others flooding after the new, deadly target.

It wasn't long until the rapid rate of fire the caught up with the magazines and completely emptied them, forcing 02 to discard the rifles and draw the massive blade he arrived equipped with. A pack of Beowolves attended to flank him from the sides and pounce, only to be bisected horizontally as the edge seamlessly cleaved through flesh and bone.

An Ursa then attempted to attack from behind as the Boarbatusks charged straight towards 02 as he brought back his sword for another blow. Realizing this, the android jumped several feet into the air, causing the unfortunate Grimm to crash into each other as the blade descended upon them. The weight and sharpness of the blade allowed it to penetrate the tough, white armor of the monsters, tearing them apart and sending the remains towards their advancing allies as projectiles.

"Current enemy population: seven hundred. Requesting fire support."

These simple words snapped the soldiers out of their shock and confusion, "You heard the kid, fire!"

The remaining soldiers hunkered down before laying down a blanket of suppressive fire to help their new ally, knocking out a few dozen Grimm and giving 02 the ability to recalculate and consider all possible courses of action.

In the end, however, the android's order to keep any of the Grimm from entering the city took priority, causing him to just end up diving into the hordes and slashing the unfortunate beasts to bits with his sword. Noticing a few Beowolves once again trying to flank him, 02 brandished his throwing knives and flung them at the advancing pack. The blades sunk deep between the eyes, the rest of their bodies quickly collapsing in response.

Even with all of his programmed maneuvers and hours of combat practice the android certainly wasn't perfect. A number of Grimm managed to breach his furious assault and clawed at the robot furiously in an attempt to down him, tearing through the outer layers of his armor as well as pieces of his synthetic skin and outer skeleton. An Ursa managed to sink its fangs into 02's chest and Core, heavily damaging the vital component. None of this fazed him as he swept his attackers away with the blunt side of his blade in retaliation, imploding the monster's skulls and crushing their masks as proof. The remaining Grimm did not dare to advance, only roaring at the threat before them as 02 once again sized up their remaining numbers.

"Estimated remaining Grimm population... two hundred. Note, current population shocked by the sudden display of force and unwilling to attack."

02 was prepared to dive back into the thick of things when a warning notice appeared in his heads up display. The output of the Core, his power source and functional heart, had dropped to less than half of its maximum capacity and beginning to dip into the critical zone. He would've have pressed on regardless if the command center had not sent another message, stating "A massive wave of Grimm spotted heading towards the north border. Estimated numbers: four thousand."

"A wave of four thousand Grimm is heading towards this location." he relayed over the communications network. Switching channels, he contacted his creator as the Atlesian personnel scrambled to come up with a solution.

"Professor, requesting authorization to use the Galatine."

"Are your thought processes malfunctioning 02?! It takes at least two minutes to charge! Besides, the Core is at less than half capacity! If you use it now the potential backlash could destroy the Core and render you irreparable!"

"A wave of four thousand is headed straight for the kingdom, Professor. The Galatine is the only weapon available to the currently deployed forces capable of wiping out the enemy before any casualties can be inflicted."

"I am not going give you permission to destroy yourself! There has to be another way!"

"Professor, my programming states that I am to do whatever is necessary to act in the defense of Atlas. You were the one who told me that."

"No, means no! I already told you that you are to come back intact and that's final!"

"Do you have a solution 02?" asked Ironwood, accessing the communications channel.

"I am capable of synchronizing my Semblance with the Core to achieve a highly destructive arc of energy capable of wiping out the oncoming enemy. Known issues are the charging time and the potential for my own self-destruction as a result of my currently damaged state."

"We have the latest in military technology General! You can't risk destroying my creation over one attack by the Grimm!"

"What is your estimated probability that the wave would be destroyed by this attack?" asked 02, ignoring the scientist's pleas.

"96.6%, sir. There is also an 89.4% chance that the Core would be damaged beyond repair by the use of this attack in my current state. The probability of my destruction increases with time."

Ironwood mulled over the choice carefully. Ordering the attack would likely save the city from the oncoming Grimm and keep casualties at a minimum. This would however, come at a steep cost, the loss of Penny's "brother", an incredibly powerful weapon. If he did not, the Grimm would probably making it into the city and result in massive amounts of property damage and a high number of civilian deaths. However, there was a chance that Unit 02 would survive, but the same could not be said for the citizens of Atlas.

"Authorization granted. Destroy them as soon as possible."

"You can't do this!" moaned Geppetto as he faced his creation's possible destruction.

"We don't have a choice! Give him the code now!"

The professor finally gave in and said through gritted teeth, "Code: Galatine. Password: 3XC41I8U12."

"Authorization received." replied the android as he raised the sword in his hands into the air, "Releasing limiters. Core, full drive!" A brilliant white light began to gather around the blade, taking its shape and slowly extending into the sky. In spite of its damaged state, the Core in his chest began to shine at the same time. Dimly at first, but increasingly radiant with every passing second.

"Estimated completion time: two minutes thirty-five seconds. Requesting covering fire until the preparation for the Galatine is completed."

"He's the only thing we've got boys! Give em' hell!" hollered the veteran soldier from earlier, having landed only thirty minutes ago due to the Grimm having blocked the viable landing spots.

Having no other options, the uninjured soldiers all complied and began unloading every last magazine they had on the black and red tsunami in an attempt to buy time.

Two and a half minutes. A seemingly short amount of time. Time we take for granted. But on the battlefield that time feels like an eternity. In the minds of these warriors the sands of the hourglass of time were falling painfully slowly amidst the sound of gunfire and the smell of gunpowder. Any second now they could be killed by practically anything. Eaten alive by a Beowolf's fangs, rended asunder by an Ursa's claws, impaled upon a Boarbatusks's tusks, even shot by a stray bullet.

Yet to these soldiers every second was liquid gold. They pressed on in search of this invaluable substance. For every second was a chance to keep fighting, a chance to go back home, a chance to see their family.

Every second was a chance to live.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" screamed a sergeant as the Grimm began to inch closer and closer to his position. They were fifty meters away. Then thirty meters. Then ten meters. The Grimm would soon be upon them. Just like the characters in the fairy tales of their name sake, the heroes would die a horrible and tragic death. The game seemed to be up, the match seemed to have been all but set, the end near. All of their hopes rested on their trump card, a weapon resembling a human but wasn't a human at all. They prayed, hoping for the miracle promised them.

Their prayers were answered by an artificial voice, its owner's eyes glowing the color azure as intensely as the stars themselves, "Charging complete. Code: Galatine, full power!" the synthetic voice shouted across the battlefield.

The sword, now enveloped in a pillar of blinding light that stretched into the sky that seemed to scrape every celestial body, came down to destroy the denizens of darkness. He left no time for the Grimm to react, the blade turning into a beam that shot through the never-ending hordes.

The light that resembled divine judgment itself did not merely defeat its foes, it obliterated, vaporized, and annihilated its unfortunate targets. It returned them to the nil from which they came, completely and utterly destroying them in a supernova of pure energy.

When the soldiers could see again, not a trace of the Grimm remained. There was no trace of their former foes left, not even particles. The night once again grew silent as the members of the Atlesian military stared blankly at the scene before them.

At first they couldn't believe it. Wouldn't you think it'd be incredulous to see the enemy simply vanish into thin air? They pinched themselves, trying to wake themselves up from what seemed like a dream too sweet to be true. Eventually they realized that the scene before their eyes was neither a dream, nor a mirage, nor an illusion. They had triumphed, their desperate struggle had born its fruit. They had triumphed. They immediately starting cheering, they had won their little war. Their impossible battle was a victory, a success.

For the android boy that made this possible, there was no celebration. The helmet that concealed his face had been blown off from the force of the attack, revealing his youthful, but exhausted and dazed face. He could hear nothing but warning messages and alarms as he felt his body systems shutting down due to the critical power failure. This was the cost of resulted of using his dangerously draining ace in the hole in his injured state.

"_WARNING! CORE OUTPUT LEVELS CRITICALLY LOW!"_

"_WARNING! 60% OF THE CORE HAS SUSTAINED MASSIVE DAMAGE!"_

"_WARNING POWER LEVELS INSUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT NORMAL FUNCTIONS."_

Only the soldier from earlier, the unusually jolly and optimistic veteran, noticed the boy standing by himself. His expression a blank daze, as if he'd sustained some kind of head injury.

"That was something robot kid! You really saved our asses!" patting the boy on the back. The boy however, didn't feel the gesture, as that part of his body had already lost function. His legs gave out the second after, causing the soldiers' champion and savior to fall to the cold, hard ground.

"Kid, are you alright?" the veteran asked. The boy's limbs went limp, his sensors on the verge of following.

"_Hey, Kid!" _the words sounded distant and far away to the young warrior, the last phrase he heard before his sensors finally went.

The android shut down, unable to hear, see, or experience any sensation but the empty, unflinching darkness.

* * *

><p>Another opening to another story. This is my bid at an original RWBY fan fiction, the idea popping into my head in the middle of class as usual. In the show, it bothered me that there were only a pair of guards to protect Penny in spite of the incredible military value she has. So I decided to make Unit 02 to satisfy my criticisms of this detail (don't worry, he'll be getting a more proper name later). I have an idea for his gun-melee weapon hybrid already, which you might be able to guess from this prologue alone. I certainly hoped you liked this story guys. Thanks for reading and post a review if you've got the time.<p> 


	2. Chapter 1 - Alien Emotions

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or any of its characters. All characters/ideas/concepts besides my own original ones belong to their respective owners.

* * *

><p><strong>Atlesian Military Research and Development Lab<strong>

* * *

><p>The following morning the professor was working furiously to restore Unit 02 to full function. There wasn't a second where he wasn't doing something. If he wasn't repairing the Core he was restoring the android boy's skin or doing maintenance on his limbs. However, what was really making him tear his hair out was the fact that despite the fact that the Core had been restored to 90% of it's normal capacity, the boy still hadn't awoken. Regardless, he continued working, thanking whatever divine beings above for sparing his creation from almost certain death as he tried to figure out the issue.<p>

"Father, I brought the parts you requested." said an orange haired girl with bright green eyes. This was Unit 01, also known as Penny Polendina, the first synthetic being with the ability to emit an Aura. To her the good professor was her father and he thought of her as his biological daughter.

"Thank you, Penny." The professor's eyes did not avert from his work, but the warmth was evident in his voice.

"Who is this?" she asked as she wondered what her father was working on. She had been away learning about the norms of society, such as trends and gestures in order to blend in.

"Ah yes, this is the first time you've seen him isn't it? Penny, this is your younger brother, Unit 02. He also has the ability to emit an Aura, and an incredibly powerful one at that. I haven't come up with a name for him yet, but he was injured during his first field test last night."

"A brother! I always wanted a brother! What does he wear? What does he like? What is he like? Does he like girls?" the robot girl rattled off in quick succession.

Geppetto gave a small frown at the thought, "To be honest, I haven't really programmed much a personality into him yet."

"Why not?"

"Well, Mr. Ironwood wanted a weapon, so I gave him one. Now I regret it as his inability to make his own choices almost got him killed."

"So why not give him one now?"

"It's not that simple my dear. I'd have to rewrite most of his thought processes and begin educating him on right and wrong once he restarts himself."

The professor sighed as he reviewed his notes, "What could be wrong with him?" He had checked him over several dozen times. For the most part 02 should have been perfectly functional with almost every part in pristine condition. It was beyond him as to why he wasn't starting up again.

"Um, maybe it's not a mechanical issue. Could it be an issue with his code after the repairs?"

The old engineer eyes sparkled with renewed vigor at his daughter's words, "Of course! I knew I designed your thought processes well! Surely if I run a diagnostic through his thought processes something should-"

His hopes were cut short as the diagnostics found nothing unusual in 02's code nor was there any damage to his processors.

"Blast! I was sure that was the issue! If only there were some kind of patch I could just apply to instantly fix whatever is wrong with him!"

This time it was Penny's turn to have a revelation, "Father, I think I know where there might be one!"

"What? Where?" he asked. The professor was incredibly skilled in his field, but as an aging man his memory isn't always sharp.

"I was organizing your files this morning when I saw an old looking data disk! It was marked, "should Unit 02 stop working for an unknown reason apply this patch." in really pretty handwriting!"

"Pretty handwriting? Must have been that rule-bending pinhead from Beacon. But... when was that disk delivered?"

"I don't know. I found it on your desk this morning."

"_Could he have foreseen this?"_ wondered the professor as he pondered over this new information. He shook the thought out of his mind. It didn't matter right now. What mattered was saving his creation, his child, from being sent to the scrap heap.

"Penny, I'm going to have to ask you to bring that data disk to me as soon as possible."

"Right away, Father!" she then scurried off to retrieve what could be her younger brother's salvation.

"I certainly hope this works. If it does, I'll then hope be able to come up with a good name for you." the old roboticist joked to himself as he returned to his work.

* * *

><p>Core Systems: 100%<p>

Rebooting internal systems...

Motor Systems: Online

Logic Processes: Online

Environmental Sensors: Online

Internal systems: All Green.

Initiating start up...

Unit 02's eyes fluttered open for the first time since that fateful night as his systems finally restarted. He sat up and surveyed his surroundings, noticing that he was not on the outskirts of Atlas anymore but instead inside the familiar confines of the research laboratory.

He was greeted by the smiling face of his predecessor unit, "You're awake! Father, he's awake!"

"That's a relief." the scientist walked over to check on his creation, "How are you feeling?"

"My diagnostic systems found no abnormalities Professor."

"Good. This is your first time meeting your sister isn't it?"

"Sister, sir?"

"Yes, I'm your sister! It's so nice to meet you, little brother!" Penny immediately ran up to Unit 02 and embraced him lovingly.

For most infants, their first real emotion is confusion as they are unaccustomed to the world around them. For the relatively new robot on the table, this was the exact feeling that was working through his logic processes.

He began blinking frequently the way a human would when startled, "Professor, why is Unit 01 in such close proximity to me?"

"She's only showing you her affection and excitement for meeting you."

"Affection? Excitement? Professor, I don't understand." The words were alien to the robot boy, whose puzzled expression only served to highlight how perplexed he was.

"Let's slow it down for a bit. Penny, give him some space."

She did as she was instructed, stepping away from her brother unit, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

"Now, have you noticed that you've been doing something you've never done before 02?"

This only served to confuse him even more, "Something I've been doing? I've only been functional for the past four minutes and thirty two seconds Professor. What could I have been-" The realization hit him with all the subtlety of a truck crashing into a brick wall at eighty miles an hour.

He was asking questions.

Weapons and soldiers like him are not supposed to ask questions.

It was against his directives, his code, the fiber of _his being_ to ask questions.

There was something horribly wrong with him.

His look of confusion quickly morphed into panic as he tried to comprehend his situation, running dozens of diagnostic scans in an attempt to figure out what was happening to him. His frustration only grew as each scan returned with negative results, flooding his thought processes with feelings of terror and anger completely unknown to him.

Seeing his creation ready to tear his own hair out from the frightful epiphany the scientist decided to bring an end to the boy's suffering. "02, I order you to calm down!"

The boy's mind cleared immediately, but the pain he felt in his brief ordeal was still excruciatingly evident on his face.

"W-what is wrong with me?" he stammered, flinching as he realized that he had asked yet another question.

"This is going to be a lot to take in, so I want you to listen carefully. Your tactic yesterday was effective, but damn near suicidal. I was able to restore you to full physical condition, but some reason you wouldn't reboot yourself. I ended up using an old backup file that Penny found to overwrite portions of your thought processes. It worked, but among those files was a great deal of emotional data. So like Penny you will now be able to express and feel emotions much like any human."

"Will this not impair my combat performance?" The boy asked through gritted teeth. The act of asking for more information remained an unbearable feeling to the boy who was not supposed to question anything ordered of him as he struggled to understand what was going on.

"Now 02, you don't need to be so hesitant to ask questions. It is how we as people learn. I do recall an old proverb, those who asks questions remain a fool for a moment, but those who do not remain fools forever."

The proverb's meaning flew over the boy's head as he continue to ponder about the events transpiring before him, "Is it really alright for me to be doing this? Weapons are not supposed to question-"

"Ah, that's where you are wrong. Listen to yourself. You are not simply asking questions. You are thinking for yourself, forming your own ideas from the few things you already know. You are no longer just a weapon. You are a sentient being now fully capable of feeling with the soul you were born with. A person."

"I-If that is what you say Professor..." Even with these encouraging words a feeling of insecurity and doubt washed over the boy, only irking him and creating even more discomfort.

"Now onto your combat performance, your new ability to think may be a positive or negative influence. On the downside, you now have the ability to second guess orders, a liability on the battlefields Ironwood wants you stationed at. Yet you are also able to make your own decisions and adapt to new situations, which may enhance your overall performance exponentially. It's a double-edged sword, but a weapon I hope you'll be able to harness effectively."

The Professor walked to another one of his work tables before turning back to his practically infantile creation, "Though on the topic of combat, I suppose I have a present for you." He threw off the fabric draped over the object underneath, revealing the armament underneath.

"I call it the Tactical Arms: Durandal!" The weapon was an actual double-edged sword, and a certainly large one at that. It was exactly one hundred and fifty centimeters long from the bottom of hilt to the tip of the blade, about five feet long. Thus it was almost as long as 02 was tall. The core of the blade was colored a deep sea blue while its edges were as white as freshly fallen snow. The shape of blade resembled a kite shield, nearly two feet wide close to the hilt but it narrowed somewhat as one's gaze approached the end, but it remained nevertheless quite thick looking for a sword.

The hilt was also exceptionally long. Both sides of it were adorned with what appeared to be the triggers for a heavy machine gun akin to the ones 02 used last night. These triggers were parallel to the blade, giving the weapon a peculiar but solid grip. The guard consisted of a pair if of attachments resembling vertically divided trapezoids on either side of the hilt along with a conjoining unit in the middle, separating the blade from the hilt in a crude but efficient way.

"This is to be your new weapon to make up for the fact that I engaged your limiters once more. I've limited your access to about five percent of your maximum power in order to prevent you from sacrificing yourself needlessly. It'd be a waste to repair you only for you to be back on the table the next day. Go on, try it out."

02 rose from his seat and made his way over to where his colossal blade rested. He picked up the weapon with machine-like care, analyzing its properties as he did so. The weapon had a weight to match its incredible size, but lighter than one would expect at about a hundred pounds. This still rendered the weapon impossible for any normal human to wield, but to 02 its heft was noticeable, a good deal than his previous sword, but more than manageable. He took several practice swings, wide arcs that made the air sing around him with each attack he made against a phantom opponent.

Despite its almost lopsided appearance in terms of weight distribution the weapon remained comfortable and balanced in the boy's hands. It was made for him, lovingly crafted for his own personal use and his alone.

"What do you think of it?"

"It's..." The boy found himself unable to articulate his thoughts in words. He had never been asked to express his opinion before. He could only stare in silence as he tried to come up with what to say, only for his logic processes to fail him with every attempt.

"Are you having trouble forming an opinion on your own?"

02 nodded in the affirmative, feeling almost ashamed of his inability to even speak about something as simple as forming his opinions, much less vocalizing them.

"I guess it was a bit much to ask you to do something you were originally programmed not to do, so I suppose we'll let it slide. I've called it the weapon in your hands the Tactical Arms because it is designed to have multiple forms to adapt to a variety of situations. If you flick twist the grip you'll be able to try the Durandal's second form.

Quickly locating it, the robot twisted the grip within the palm of his hand until the trigger like holds were perpendicular to the blade with an audible click. Suddenly the weapon whirred to life, a variety of moving parts could be heard as it folded in half down the length of the blade before separating in a matter of moments, leaving him with two identical one-handed single-edged swords.

"This form is designed for taking on opponents attacking from multiple sides. While the large zweihander form is just fine for dispatching tightly knit groups of Grimm and armored targets, this form is designed to grant you a little more finesse to take out more scattered and mobile opponents. There are still two more forms we should go over though. Try bending the grips downward now."

He followed his orders, pulling down the grips in such a manner that they now resembled the triggers on an actual rifle. More whirring could be heard from the inside of the weapon as the front end of the blade shifted downward similar to a pair of bayonets, revealing the barrels of two high caliber automatic rifles where the blades once were.

"This form is meant to give you the ability to engage in both ranged and melee combat at once. I remembered your preference for firearms with high stopping power with a rapid rate of fire to match. Thus this will provide both a means of defeating foes from a distance without compromising your ability to fight in close quarters. Then there is the last form of the Tactical Arms. Put the two rifles together side by side and watch what happens."

Following this last set of instructions, the weapon made even more noise, parts linking together and pieces of the weapon folding until he held a minigun with two smaller barrels lined up next to each other. The blades were now pointed downward almost as if they were a bipod for the pair of cannons.

"This is a form specialized for suppressive fire from a secured position. I designed this to allow you to provide covering fire for your allies as well as mow down any Grimm foolish enough to stand in your way. It is rather inaccurate when firing from the hip, so I set the blades to act as cooling fins and stabilizers to reduce these issues to their bare minimum. Perhaps you should try out a-"

02 squeezed the trigger once, letting out a burst of gunfire which ended with a number of gaping bullet holes in the wall next to the door.

The Professor gave a disapproving sigh as he shook his head at the sight.

"I meant at the firing range, 02. You should never open fire in here unless it's absolutely necessary."

Another uncomfortable pain shot through 02's chest at these words, the epicenter of focused where his heart should be. His thoughts immediately filled with the words he never thought he would but instinctively knew he should say.

"I apologize Professor. I didn't..."

"That's alright. Part of the blame belongs to me. I wasn't clear in my instructions. But the silver lining in this unfortunate occurrence is that you are developing a feeling of regret, and thus a conscience."

"A conscience, sir?"

"A sense of right and wrong. It is knowing what you should do versus what you should not. It is a vital skill for any part of today's society and one you should develop immediately."

"Would my actions be considered reprehensible then, sir?"

"If you were a normal soldier, then the answer would most certainly be a yes. However, because of the fact that you are still becoming accustomed to feelings such as these I will be lenient this time."

"Thank you Professor." For the first time today he felt some relief from all of these starting and strange things he was developing, particularly those of emotions and the ability to think for himself.

"No thanks is necessary here. Using this monstrosity of a weapon will take effort and practice, so I expect to see you at the Training Room starting tomorrow."

"Understood. As for now?" The question came more easily to him than before, but the unnatural feeling remained.

"For now, I want you to begin learning about the social norms by interacting with other people. We can't have you acting like this forever now can we?"

This statement only exacerbated the robot's confusion, "Is there an issue with my behavior Professor?"

"Well, outside of combat you are honestly as naive and inexperienced in the way the world works as a newborn baby. You're going to be exploited by the people around you if you don't wise up a little."

"Wising up, sir?"

The professor sighed in frustration, "It seems you'll also have to learn how to learn the colloquial. Very well. I've also ordered some clothes for you. It'll be impossible for you to act similarly to a human if you wear nothing but military uniforms."

He handed the boy a box. "Take off your current clothes and put these on."

As 02 began removing the remains of the uniform he was wearing the professor quickly amended his order, "At the locker room please."

The boy blinked at the statement, "Is there an issue, professor?"

"In today's society it is indecent to change clothes in front of others, so please go to the locker room first."

He didn't quite understand but he followed his orders anyway, leaving the room quietly. When he returned he was wearing a set of modern looking clothes which contrasted with his sister's more old fashioned style.

Covering his torso was a white skintight short sleeved shirt with a large neon blue gear-like pattern on the center. On top of it was an unzipped black jacket with cuffs at the end of the sleeves and a high collar. Neon markings similar to the t-shirt's could be seen running down both the collar and the sleeves.

He was also wearing dark blue jeans with the same patterns on the knee area and close to the end of each leg. A belt with a number of pouches and compartments circled his waist, presumably to hold supplies such as ammunition. The outfit was finished with a pair of black boots and fingerless gloves.

"What do you think of your new outfit?" the professor asked his creation as the latter continued to look over his new clothes.

"They're... light. They don't feel the same as a military uniform and they're not made of the same material."

"I was hoping for less of a scientific response and more of your own personal thoughts on the matter, but it will have to do for now. Basically I want you to remain with Penny for now and interact with her to begin your education on how to act normally."

The professor then turned to Penny who was gazing intently the whole time in silence, but with a veritable tidal wave of excitement being barely held back by the fact that she wasn't given an order.

"Yes Penny, you'll be allowed to interact with him first."

"Yay!" She quickly ran over to her brother and lifted him in a bear hug. "There is so much I want to talk to you about-" She stopped and put him down as she too realized something.

"Father, you haven't given him a name yet."

By this point, calling 02 perplexed would be an understatement, but this was the icing on the cake. "A name? Was I not issued a serial number?"

"Yes you were, but no sane person outside of the military is going to find a serial number for a name perfectly ordinary. So I've decided to give you a new name to celebrate your new self-awareness."

"I'll receive any designation you see fit, sir."

"I hope you will. I've decided to name you Chrome. That will be your new standard designation. Register it immediately. Do the same for your sister. You'll refer to her as Penny from now on and not Unit 01."

The eyes of the newly christened Chrome flashed blue yet again as he received the order, but mysteriously enough did not return to their previous chestnut color.

"With that out of the way, here is the sling for the Durandal. It's yours, so feel free to use it as you see fit." Chrome took into his hands his weapon's sheath, throwing it across his left shoulder before returning the Durandal to its default form and putting it away.

"That is all for now. Have fun interacting with your sister Chrome, she is certainly energetic." With that he waved for the two of them to leave, an opportunity that the female android did not hesitate to take as she began tugging at her brother's arm and leading him out of the lab.

Chrome remained as baffled as ever with this turn of events, yet did not feel uncomfortable with it, a fact that surprised even himself. In fact, with the smiling faces of his creator and "sister" he observed that the turn of events could potentially be favorable and that it would be a suitable course of action to simply follow it..

* * *

><p>Sorry for the wait guys. This chapter is mostly expository in the end, but I hope you found it entertaining. What do you guys think of Chrome? I sort of modeled his personality off similarly socially awkwardrobotic characters such as Shiba Tatsuya from Irregular at a Magic High School and Xenon from Maplestory. As for the Tactical Arms I was inspired by the weapon of the same name from Gundam fame. To be honest I'm still tied up with work right now (I've got a lab report, a historical essay paper and a Latin project to work though) so I spent last night and an additional four hours from when I woke up today writing this so I can say that I wrote _something_.

As always please tell me what you think. I'm not looking for pats on the back (as much as I enjoy them) as they don't tell me what I'm doing right or wrong. Saying at least one thing you did like and one thing you didn't is always helpful in getting me to write better, and I certainly hope you do in a review should you have the time.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading everyone and I hope to find you there in the next chapter.


End file.
